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Two strikes against Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin spoke well today at her press conference after being selected as McCain’s running mate, but I still think McCain may have misfired politically, for two reasons.

The first is evident in the photo up on the Times home page: Palin looks young and vibrant, which is great, but that accentuates McCain’s age. Simply put, he looks older than he did without her beside him. Age is one of the challenges that McCain faces, and my hunch is that he will seem even older in every joint appearance with Palin.

The second is experience, particularly in international affairs. That has been McCain’s strength, particularly if a security crisis erupts next month. I think there’s a good chance that Israel will strike Iranian nuclear sites in mid-October, and if so global tensions will quickly ratchet upward, particularly from Iraq to Lebanon. That would put McCain in a good position vis-a-vis Obama, and presumably that’s one reason Joe Biden joined the ticket, as a vaccination against the inexperience charge. But it’ll be much harder for Republicans to make that accusation when Palin is herself such an utter novice on international affairs.

Frankly, I find it positively scarey to think about Sarah Palin being second in command. Fact: POWs from Vietnam have a much shorter life expectancy. Most have not lived beyond the age of 73. Think about that. John McCain could possibly be in office for 1 year or less and then something happens which makes it impossible for McCain to finish his term and the presidency baton gets passed to the 44 year old Palin, who has not a whit of foreign experience. I would not wish for this to happen but it is important to consider these things when selecting a President. Yes, the President is in charge but God forbid something happened to McCain you have to consider what those consequences could be. Palin does not a Clinton make. Sorry, bad choice.

What is Sara Palin thinking??? A Hilary Clintion she is not!!! John Mcain do you think women are stupid and won’t see past your “trophy” VP pick. Did anyone notice how John Mcain was checking out her rear as she was saying her acceptance speech?? Go back and check it out for yourself. I wonder if she is goning to be the 3rd or 4th affair for John.

This is a present to Barack and Biden. I know where my vote will be going. Give me a break John, your not very bright.

Sarah Palin has more executive experience than both the Democratic candidates combined. As a Vice President she can obtain foreign policy on-the-job training. But on-the-job training is not a good idea for a President. In any event Biden’s much vaunted experience in foreign policy as been shown to be more experience in buffoonery and venality than in foreign policy, as shown by his fundraising with Iranians who support Iran’s mullahs.

I’ve been reading the blogs of this and other opinion/editorial writings and I have to say the readership of this newspaper is about 99.96 anti-republican party. I guess you all like to hear each others complaints….count me out, lemmings. you lend nothing..nada to the debate except to reinforce the inability of the left to countenance any dissent….sound familiar?

mccain’s pick for veep is so scary that americans need to seriously think about the primary process. maybe candidates need to pick their veeps from the getgo, so we know what we’re in for.
otherwise, the path from mayor of elsewhere to leader of the free world is perilously compacted and compromised.

It was a bad choice. Sure it stole a bit of thunder from Obama but that was just a fluke. She is like a big crash sound behind a large crowd watching Obama. Naturally people will look what it is then afterwards go on again to what they have come and listen for. McCain should have picked Mitt Romney. At least with him he could have had a fighting chance, now with Palin, it’s all gone.

Sarah Palin is a fantastic pic for McCain’s running mate. She obviously has leadership ability, she is a very bright and articulate woman, and when you look at Obama’s LACK of experience for the TOP notch, I believe she is qualified in every way for the VP position.

I am a mostly demcratic white female who really wanted Hillary, but now I see even though Dem’s talk the talk about raising up women and minorities, the Repub’s walk the walk. McCain/Palin have my vote all the way now.

As for McCain’s age – I personally have known 3 different men under the age of 50 who dropped dead without warning. When it’s your time, it’s your time, no matter how old or YOUNG you are.

Look, she can’t be worse than Bush, who doesn’t know elementary geography among other things. The fact is that nowadays US presidents have the same role of the Roman emperors of the decline and fall era.

I find McCain’s appointment of Palin as a running mate cynical and condescending. The assumption that any woman will do to appease the women who support women’s rights, equal pay and, yes, Roe v Wade. The post by Connie inadvertantly makes the point that the VP is a heartbeat away from the Oval Office. We need to assess capability not gender.

The tirade about Sara Palin’s inexperience would best be tempered by Obama supporters. In only brings to light his own very, very thin resume. Biden, McCain and Palin all can claim more experience at some level than Obama. Albeit brief at least Sara has a record, ask anyone what Obama has done and marvel at the blank stare.

Anyone who says Palin was the best choice either is kidding themselves or kidding us. Notwithstanding the opportunity to choose similarly conservative officials with remarkable records serving the public, McCain picks a real light weight. Just think, the President is dead, and here’s your choice: Palin or Biden. If you honestly choose Palin, you really need help — and there won’t be many who agree. In short, McCain gave Obama a tremendous boost by making this ridiculous choice. He may truly have a death wish.

Let me get this straight. John McCain thinks that because I am a woman who voted for Hillary Clinton in the PA primary I will somehow vote for him because Gov. Palin is on his ticket. He doesn’t think I might be intelligent and interested enough to notice that Palin’s views are very different that my own? I don’t know if I should be amused or offended. He just “doesn’t get it,” it seems.

I am not sure why everyone takes for granted John McCain’s experience. Gen. Clark said it like it is and got punished for it. Getting shot down in a fighter plane does not give you the credentials to be Commander and Chief. It earns you the admiration of your fellow citizens including me. Nor does having your son serving in Iraq as Governor Palin said or commanding the Alaska National Guard.

McCain, has made his first major choice and it is a bad one. god help us if he becomes ill and this woman ends up as our president of the united states. she is no Hillary Clinton, and the republicans think we are idiots. that we would vote for any woman. voters didn’t vote for Clinton
because she was a woman, she has history with us. they voted for the person that she is. and i am for obama any way. so McCain, job well done

Palin stands against the things Hillary Clinton stands for e.g. women’s right to choose, environment, education and I’m pretty sure Hillary would believe in evolution over Palins preferred creationism! John McCain may have won support with the religious right in his own party, but he can’t possibly believe that women will see Palin as the new Hillary!!

John McCain’s pick of Gov Palin as his VP choice has re-energized focus on issues that take focus away from the most critical issue in this election: proposed policies. I don’t care if his pick is a male or a female,although I do think that Mr. McCain’s pick of Governor Palin was clearly aimed at capturing more female votes. If he thinks that his pick of Governor Palin will cause unhappy Hilary Clinton supporters to vote for him, I believe he has made a huge mistake. Simply put, Governor Palin espouses positions that Hilary Clinton does not. Hilary supporters will not vote for John McCain simply because his running mate is a woman. I like Governor Palin’s energy level and her record of getting things done in Alaska. She appears to be intelligent and articulate and can quickly learn about foreign policy. However, I cannot get away from the fact that she will champion the same policies as John McCain, who is simply too much like George Bush for my comfort. Despite the momentary shakeup at the announcement of her candidacy for VP, my choice for the President/VP ticket remains the same.

Palin didn’t even get a passport until 2007 and that was so she could visit Alaska Natl Guard in Kuwait. There’s no way I’m going to vote for someone with no international experience to be a heartbeat away. What was McCain thinking? Says a lot about his judgment.

The Republican argument that Sarah Palin is more experienced than both Democratic candidates combined makes absolutely no sense. Do they not see how ridiculous that sounds? By that logic, that would mean Palin has more experience than McCain himself, since he’s been in the Senate and House his entire political career, and a shorter amount of time than Joe Biden. But then again, logic is often thrown out the window in an election like this.

They make it seem like the Congress is just a sandbox for political hacks (although there are some hacks there to be sure). Things do get done there, believe it or not.

Executive experience? Who are you guys kidding? No one besides yourselves, obviously.

Her “executive” experience consists of 1) two terms as the part-time mayor of a small town (pop. less than 9000), and 2) less than one full term as governor of the one of the least populated state in the country (pop. less than 700K).

Give me a break. McCain’s been making experience an issue for weeks now, and faced with his most important decision so far she’s the best he could come up with?

If Sarah Palin is the second most-qualified Republican to lead this country, then the Republican Party might as well just disband and start over.

It really was such an insult to Hillary Clinton and the women who supported her to think they would just automaticaly switch to Palin and the Republician Party, talk about the Differences between these two women…As far as John McCain is concerned, making this choice proved to me how selfish he really must be, Palin would be just a heartbeat away from the Presidency if anything ever happaned to him. If he truly cared about all of us would he want her to be the President of the United States especially at this time with all that is going on in the world. I wish a very long life for John McCain but as I am in my 70’s I wake up every moning happy just to wake up, after all we are getting older….Posted by Diane

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This blog expands on Nicholas Kristof’s twice-weekly columns, sharing thoughts that shape the writing but don’t always make it into the 800-word text. It’s also the place where readers make their voices heard.